Improved helmets a plus for Wolfpack

State players give new company's helmets positive reviews

N.C. State linebacker Ray Michel clutched his helmet after practice as he discussed how it fits over his dreadlocked hair.

"I love it," he said. "I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Michel is one of eight N.C. State players testing helmets provided by a new company called Xenith. The players with long hair like the helmets because they say they fit better and don't thrust their faces too close to the mask.

Vin Ferrara, Xenith's founder, is optimistic that the helmets will reduce concussions in players who wear them. A former Harvard quarterback with a medical degree and MBA from Columbia University, Ferrara was inspired to produce a new helmet in 2004 after seeing former NHL forward Eric Lindros suffer one of his many concussions.

With the help of engineers and medical experts, he designed a helmet that relies on disc-shaped plastic shock absorbers placed inside the helmet shell instead of foam padding. On impact, the shock absorbers release air like tiny squeeze bottles to reduce the head's acceleration.

Ferrara said the Xenith helps prevent violent movements of the head during low and medium-impact collisions better than other helmets.

"When most people think about the concussions, they think about the guy who's knocked out cold," Ferrara said. "Those are a tiny fraction of the brain injuries that are taking place."

According to Ferrara, the repeated low-energy blows a fullback might encounter during practice every day affect the brain the way steady, repeated jabs affect a boxer. He said the constant jolting can have a cumulative, injurious effect on the brain.

Gerard Gioia, director of neuropsychology at Children's National Medical Center and director of the Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery and Education Program, is optimistic about the new helmets.

He hopes that if testing goes well the technology can be used to make more effective helmets for recreational uses such as bicycling, snowboarding and skateboarding.

"The methodology and technology that has gone into the protection in the Xenith helmets is a whole kind of new age for managing the forces that the brain will take," Gioia said.

N.C. State players testing the helmets include tight ends Anthony Hill and George Bryan, wide receiver Geron James and linebacker Nate Irving. Jimmy Stewart, the assistant equipment manager in charge of fitting helmets, has a variety of brands available because he wants players comfortable in their gear.

The Xeniths aren't the only new helmets that manufacturers hope will decrease concussions. After suffering a concussion in the opener against South Carolina, quarterback Russell Wilson switched to the heavily padded Revolution by Riddell.

Running back Andre Brown is wearing the Schutt DNA and raves about its comfort.

"I compare it to a couch," he said. "There's extra cushion in that thing, and it's extra light."

In the Triangle, Duke and North Carolina use helmets by Riddell and Schutt. The Carolina Panthers use Riddell and Schutt helmets.

Mike Ferrara, a certified athletic trainer who directs the University of Georgia's athletic training program, said the innovations in the field are encouraging.

"There are better padding systems," said Mike Ferrara, who isn't related to Vin Ferrara. "Everyone draws from different fields. You can evaluate similar technology in the motor vehicle, auto racing and motorcycle-type helmets with similar protective characteristics to learn from other technology."

Helmet makers are doing that. Schutt has developed a new thermoplastic urethane cushioning. Riddell's Web site reports that players wearing the Revolution are less likely to suffer concussions than players wearing traditional helmets.

The next step for Vin Ferrara after testing the Xenith helmet on thousands of players this season is selling them in time for next fall. The team retail price of the Xenith X1 will be $350, and the individual price is $495.

Stewart predicted that the Xenith test results will be favorable and anticipates purchasing more for N.C. State's players. Irving, N.C. State's top linebacker, said his new helmet has cushioned his head more.

"I think it has," he said. "It has a little bit more advanced padding in it than the old helmet. So I think it was designed to prevent that kind of thing [concussions], and I think it is."